Application gaps in Psychology

Representative open questions

Showing 30 of 53 — one per source paper, highest-quality first.

• Provoking or backfiring? A contingent model of how abusive supervision influences learning from failure through fear (2026) · doi

  The cognitive-affective reappraisal training intervention is proposed to de-link interpersonal abuse from task appraisal, but the study does not specify the training content, delivery method, duration, or provide experimental validation comparing reappraisal training outcomes against control conditions in abusive supervision contexts.

• Relational energy and coping flexibility among Chinese university students: the mediating role of optimism and the moderating influence of cognitive reappraisal (2026) · doi

  The conditional indirect effect of the moderated mediation model (relational energy × cognitive reappraisal → optimism → coping flexibility) is reported as comparatively small in magnitude. Future research using longitudinal or experience-sampling designs should investigate whether this subtle effect accumulates to produce meaningful psychological benefits when experienced repeatedly across daily academic interactions.

• Role of Recognition and Appreciation in Strengthening Employee Commitment: A Study of Automotive Firms (2026) · doi

  The study measured agreement with statements about formal celebration of achievements (15.0% neutral, 10.0% disagree, 8.3% strongly disagree) but did not investigate which specific types of formal events (departmental ceremonies, company-wide awards, peer recognition forums) are most effective or preferred by automotive sector employees. Qualitative research examining employee preferences for recognition formats in automotive contexts would inform the design of recognition programs.

• A Qualitative Exploration: Black Women Living with Depression (2026) · doi

  The study demonstrates that adverse racial experiences with healthcare professionals impact Black women's utilization of mental health services, but does not quantify the relationship between specific racial stressors in healthcare encounters and subsequent help-seeking behavior for depression. Future research should measure the dose-response relationship between types of racial discrimination experiences and changes in mental health service utilization patterns among Black women.

• Information Foraging With Generative AI: Usage Patterns in Germany and Israel (2026) · doi

  The study identified a concerning pattern where users with high perceived benefits and low epistemic knowledge accessed complex, high-stakes science-related information through GenAI, but the specific mechanisms driving this behavior and effective interventions to improve epistemic literacy have not been investigated. Future research should experimentally test educational interventions targeting GenAI epistemic limitations in science information seeking.

• Influence of playing Roblox on learning engagement and emotional well-being of students in Divine Word College of San Jose (2026) · doi

  While the paper identifies that collaborative and goal-oriented gameplay may encourage self-respect and responsible behavior (citing Corbitt & Becker, 2024; Damanhuri & Wali, 2024), it does not empirically measure which specific Roblox game types, tasks, or social structures most effectively foster these outcomes. Future studies should conduct comparative analysis of different Roblox game categories (creation games vs. social games vs. educational simulations) and their differential impacts on learning engagement and emotional well-being.

• The Psychology Behind Online Anonymity and Toxic Behaviour (2026) · doi

  The paper discusses AI-based sentiment analysis and emotion recognition chatbots for crisis support in anonymous environments but does not address how these tools should be adapted specifically for detecting and intervening in toxic online behaviour or cyberbullying within forum posts where multiple attackers and victims interact anonymously.

• Living with loss: environmental grief, solastalgia, and young adults’ experiences after wildfires (2026) · doi

  The study indicates that psychological indicators of trust and grief should be integrated into disaster management protocols as early warning signals of social vulnerability, but no operational framework exists for translating environmental grief assessment into actionable institutional accountability mechanisms within regional planning processes for Mediterranean basin fire risk.

• CULTURAL INTELLIGENCE AS A PREDICTOR OF WORK ENGAGEMENT: THE MEDIATING ROLE OF SERVANT LEADERSHIP IN HOTELS (2026) · doi

  The study was conducted only in Zimbabwe; the relationships between cultural intelligence, servant leadership, and work engagement may differ substantially in countries with different working environments, labor regulations, and cultural norms. Replication studies in geographically and culturally distinct nations (e.g., developed versus developing economies, different cultural clusters) are needed to establish the cross-cultural validity of the mediation model.

• Interpreting Polygenic Prediction of Cognitive Ability: Evidence for Direct, Reliable, and Portable Genetic Effects (2026) · doi

  Disease prediction analyses tested 19 non-overlapping conditions across multiple biological systems using imputed parental polygenic scores within sibling sets. However, systematic investigation of whether cognitive ability PGS effects on disease outcomes vary by specific diagnostic categories (e.g., neurodevelopmental vs. cardiovascular vs. metabolic diseases) or by age-of-onset patterns remains absent.

• Emotion regulation success involves systematic gradient-based reconfigurations of large-scale activation patterns in the human brain (2026) · doi

  The comparison between single-metric Euclidean distance (ΔED) and individual gradient-specific change scores (Eq. 2) was evaluated using AIC model fit, but differential predictive validity or clinical utility of dimensional versus gradient-specific approaches for emotion regulation assessment across clinical populations has not been examined.

• Exploring the Antidepressant Properties of Essential Oils: A Natural Approach to Mental Well-Being (2026) · doi

  The paper proposes that essential oils can be self-administered in community settings as complementary treatments for depression, but lacks specification of optimal dosage, frequency, duration of treatment, delivery method (inhalation vs. topical vs. oral), and safety monitoring protocols required for real-world implementation.

• Examining Healthcare Workers' Artificial Intelligence Anxiety Status (2026) · doi

  While the study identified that female healthcare workers demonstrate significantly higher artificial intelligence configuration anxiety and sociotechnical blindness than male participants, no gender-differentiated intervention studies have been conducted to test the effectiveness of gender-specific training and information activities in reducing artificial intelligence anxiety among women in healthcare settings.

• The silent accumulation: AI as mental contaminant (2026) · doi

  International cooperation for developing shared standards measuring and governing technological externalities requires specification of which externalities should be prioritized, how measurement standards would account for cultural differences in technology adoption, and enforcement mechanisms to prevent governance races-to-the-bottom.

• Bots with Bias: Gender-Indexed Politeness in AI Chatbot Outputs (2026) · doi

  The study identified that chatbot responses reinforce conventional gender norms (women as emotional/cooperative, men as direct/rational) but did not quantify the downstream impacts of these biased responses on user behavior, trust calibration, or reinforcement of gender stereotypes over repeated interactions. Longitudinal user studies measuring cognitive effects and stereotype internalization from exposure to gender-indexed chatbot politeness would establish the real-world harms of this bias.

• The Method of Loci: A Survey Review (2026) · doi

  Virtual reality implementation of the Method of Loci has been tested only in healthy older adults with memory complaints (Boller et al., 2021); systematic evaluation is needed in ADHD populations and schizophrenia patients who show documented impairments in sustained attention and strategic memory encoding, to determine whether VR-enhanced spatial encoding alleviates their specific mnemonic deficits.

• Can ethical artificial intelligence aid infant and young child feeding support during conflict? A review of the experience and lessons learned from FHI 360′s in Ukraine (2026) · doi

  IYCF-E remains underfunded and insufficiently prioritized despite its proven lifesaving impact, representing a significant implementation gap globally.

• Artificial intelligence anxiety, digital well-being, and future career concerns among engineering and information technology students in Jordan (2026) · doi

  Gender inclusivity in digital learning environments is mentioned as central but specific policies and designs to achieve equitable and inclusive AI-assisted learning remain underspecified.

• Mindcare AI: Transforming Mental Health Support with AI (2026) · doi

  Some users tended to follow the AI's suggestions without critical assessment, underscoring the need for balanced information and the preservation of individualised care.

• Investigating the Relationship between Self-Efficacy and Success in Chemistry Courses (2026) · doi

  While the paper identifies time management as a challenge for 14.2% of students, there is no empirical investigation of the effectiveness of proposed institutional interventions such as workshops or time management tools.

• Cannabis use frequency may differentially impact cognitive performance in young adults with and without HIV (2026) · doi

  Intervention studies are needed to test whether altering immune and inflammatory processes through cannabis or other therapeutic mechanisms could address ongoing effects of HIV on CNS functioning.

• Impact of subanesthetic ketamine delivered via AmyloLipid nanovesicle (ALN)-based intranasal system on biobehavioral responses in an animal model of PTSD (2026) · doi

  Translational gap between animal models of PTSD and clinical efficacy in human populations requires additional comparative studies across different trauma exposure paradigms.

• Using artificial intelligence technology in virtual court procedures (2026) · doi

  Difficulty in handling cases requiring human qualities such as emotional understanding, intuitive judgment, and contextual reasoning that exceed AI's current cognitive capabilities.

• THE PSYCHOLOGICAL AND ACADEMIC IMPACT OF COVID-19 AMONG STUDENTS OF COLLEGE OF MEDICINE IN SAUDI ARABIA 2020-2021 (2022) · doi

  Comparison with international studies (US and Saudi general population) suggests need for direct comparative studies controlling for cultural, institutional, and contextual differences in pandemic response.

• Deconstructing "Cogito": Descartes' Specter and the Emergence of Posthuman Subjects (2026) · doi

  The application of posthuman theory to concrete technological contexts (gene editing, neural intervention, human enhancement) requires more systematic empirical investigation beyond theoretical exemplars.

• The Collective Liminal Tension of Knowledge and the Centrality of the Psyche (Within its Cultural and Semiotic Processuality) (2026) · doi

  Need for concrete applications demonstrating how the liminal framework can be implemented in actual scientific and psychological practice beyond theoretical articulation.

• The impact of district administration leadership characteristics on community resilience: Evidence from Kampong Thom provincial administration in Cambodia (2026) · doi

  Leadership styles and CORE in different metropolitan regions as opposed to rural areas should be examined in future studies.

• Health and Well-being: Indispensable in the Lives of all Individuals (2026) · doi

  No discussion is provided on potential barriers, challenges, or limitations to implementing these health and well-being promotion strategies in real-world settings.

• Physical Activity in the Prevention and Treatment of Depression and Anxiety Disorders: A Narrative Literature Review (2026) · doi

  Developing personalized protocols to effectively overcome motivational barriers in clinical populations represents a key area for future investigation.

• A hybrid particle swarm optimization-support vector machine for anxiety prediction among undergraduate students (2026) · doi

  No discussion is provided on the generalizability of the model beyond the specific demographic context of the Federal District or to other populations.